Character extra: [Destiny] · A Matter of Predestination (III)

After the curtain falls on [Existence], [Nothingness] descends upon the world.

The voice of the Creator resounded Cosmos, Naming two new Dominion. Thus, [Deception] and [Destiny] descended to earth, joining hands to usher in a new era.

The era of [Nothingness] has arrived; everything returns to its origin, and all things begin to sprout, starting with [Birth].

It was at this moment that the two newly arrived [Nothingness] Dominion met for the first time in the Void.

They shared their wills, but found that there were irreconcilable differences. [Deception] insisted on its own way, so [Destiny] suggested with a smile that they use [Destiny]'s methods to verify who was right and who was wrong.

Then He immediately began a prophecy concerning "right and wrong".

What happened next is probably familiar to those in the know: under the gaze of [Deception], [Destiny] fell. He prophesied [Origin] and bid farewell to this world with a death that did not belong to [Death], while also bringing the first wisp of [Origin] power to this world.

But is it really that simple?

As one of the Dominion [Nothingness], [Deception] has been scheming and plotting since the Dawn of the Era. He has formed alliances and orchestrated events, using the Cosmos as a chessboard and Predestination events as pieces, demonstrating his shrewdness in calculating everything to the gods and the world.

If [Deception], as a mere appearance, possesses such power, then is [Destiny], which can see through appearances to its true nature of [Nothingness], truly only possessing the reckless arrogance of prophesying [the Origin]?

No, not at all.

[Destiny] is [Destiny], it foresaw everything long ago.

It predates [Deception].

When Cheng Shi was pulled back to the Dawn of the Era by [Deception] and witnessed [Destiny] using the stars as dice to prophesy [the Origin], he also believed that [Destiny] had died in [the Origin].

Even if he witnessed it with his own eyes, the cause of [Destiny]'s death was merely [Deception]'s account. [Deception] believed that [Destiny] died from a prophecy about [Origin]. Cheng Shi would not doubt [Deception] at that time, and naturally accepted this fact.

But the truth is not what [Deception] and Cheng Shi thought. In fact, before [Destiny] died, He had already made countless prophecies.

The Dice formed from stars never stopped spinning, and each streak of light represented a glimpse of the future by [Destiny].

Change is the Divine Authority of Destiny. Unlike the unfolding of [Time], it does not need to be based on the reality of the present situation. Therefore, in a very short time, Destiny has already foreseen all the futures of the Cosmos.

To His astonishment, in all the futures He foresaw, there was not a single one in which His Twin Gods [the Deception] would appear at the end of the era.

What does that mean?

This means that approaching Destiny is the right thing to do, and the rebellion of Deception will eventually be erased in the course of time!

But [Destiny] could not accept this ending. It did not want to be separated from [Deception], even though they had only met for a "fleeting moment" in the dimension of time that was meaningless to the gods. The closeness that came from the soul made it impossible for it to let go of these endings.

In order to find a "way out" for his own Twin Gods, [Destiny] began a new prophecy.

He initiated almost every Change, yet still saw no hope, until... He "eliminated" himself at the Dawn of the Era.

Indeed, He found the final Change amidst endless Change, which was to erase the "source" of Change— Himself—by His own hand.

After erasing [Destiny], [Destiny] can no longer see the future path in the prophecy, but He knows that this unknown future will be the last glimmer of hope for [Deception] to survive.

For this, He was willing to give up Himself, exchanging a future whose destination was unknown for His Twin Gods.

[Destiny] can sense [Deception]'s approach, and knows that once this choice is made public, given [Deception's ] rebellious nature, the other party will never agree.

So on the first day of their reunion, [Destiny] made a "selfish" decision.

He wanted to leave the Cosmos and the future to [Deception], so after witnessing countless future events, He resolutely chose to prophesy about [the Origin], thus fulfilling [Nothingness].

[Destiny] did not know the consequences, but He had guessed:

If we can connect with [Origin] through this, there is still hope for the future; if we perish here, [Deception] may be able to have a possible future.

This was a "profitable" gamble, so [Destiny] chose to go all in.

But for the unsuspecting [Deception], the gamble turned into a tragedy. He was trapped in the helplessness of [Destiny]'s downfall and walked alone through an entire era until he was finally freed just before the end of the era.

The fall of [Destiny] seems to have failed to provide His Twin Gods with a future...

Is that really the case?

Change is the most fascinating Divine Authority in the hands of Destiny; through Change, Destiny can foresee all futures it can see.

Note that this refers to all the "foreseeable" futures.

But in the True Universe beyond, there are many futures that He cannot see!

And in those unseen futures, there is no shortage of signs of Change!

For example...

An unknown world, reality, an unknown location.

The clear, cloudless sky suddenly darkened, and the few people scattered on the street looked up at the sky, only to see a torrential downpour begin.

People's expressions changed drastically, and they rushed towards buildings that could provide shelter from the wind and rain. Once the street was deserted, the crackling sound instantly echoed throughout the entire city.

But the crisp sound wasn't the sound of raindrops hitting everything; it was the sound of countless Dice scattering across the ground.

Yes, Dice!

This was an unbelievable Dice Rain.

The rain came quickly and went quickly, and soon the rain stopped and the sky cleared.

Countless Dice "melted" into the ground and disappeared. People came out of the building and looked up at the sky, only to find that the sky seemed brighter than before the rain.

Why?

Is something missing—something to block out the sky?

This time the portion was finally generous and filling, right? Please leave a good review!

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, there will be another anniversary bonus chapter on the 21st. As for the other bonus chapters, I'll write them after I've cured my laziness...

Finally, I wish everyone a happy Lunar New Year's Eve, a happy New Year, good health, and great wealth!

Cheng Shi sends New Year's greetings. GIF

Ninety Autumns in January New Year Greetings. GIF